"A U.N. meeting to set targets to fight rising animal and plant extinctions inched on Friday toward agreement, but rich and poor countries remained split over details of a new framework on genetic resources.

Envoys from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Nagoya, Japan, from Oct 18-29 to set new goals to preserve nature's riches after they failed to meet a goal for a "significant reduction" in losses of biological diversity by 2010.

The meeting hopes to push governments and businesses into taking more action to protect and restore ecosystems such as forests that clean the air, insects that pollinate crops and coral reefs that nurture valuable fisheries.

But negotiations have been plagued by the same mistrust between developed and developing countries that has bogged down U.N. talks on combating climate change, such as how to share the effort and who should pay."

Chisa Fujioka reports for Reuters October 25, 2010.
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"Freshwater Losses Pose Risks For Food, Health: U.N." (Reuters) [3]

"Deadlock in UN Biodiversity Talks in Nagoya" (ChannelNewsAsia) [4]